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Everyday Shakespeare

by Caroline Bicks & Michelle Ephraim

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Latest episodes

A cruise by any other name would suck as much

June 19, 2026 · 35 min

In this episode, we kick off summer by taking to the sea with Shakespeare. Long before all-you-can-eat buffets, pickleball on the lido deck, and Norovirus outbreaks, Shakespeare was already imagining the pleasures and perils of ocean…
Shakespeare in Purgatory

January 9, 2026 · 49 min

Shakespeare's great tragedy Hamlet is having a moment. Between director Chloe Zhao's film adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling novel, Hamnet, and Taylor Swift's song "The Fate of Ophelia," two of Shakespeare's most tragic…
Power Couples from Instagram to Alexandria

September 15, 2025 · 40 min

It's human nature to love the spectacle of a power couple, whether it's a celebrity marriage proposal or corporate heavyweights having some adulterous fun at a Coldplay concert. But how did people get their fix before social media…
Birthdays, and Breechings, and Bed Parties—Oh, My!

July 7, 2025 · 40 min

We've gone a little nuts when it comes to celebrating our kids' milestones, like their birthdays and graduations. We've even started inventing new ones (hello, Bed Parties??), which means we're buying even more party swag. In this episode…
Filmmaker Timothy Bogart on his new film, "Juliet and Romeo"

May 5, 2025 · 30 min

Why mess with Shakespeare's perfectly good script of Romeo and Juliet? In this interview, Tim Bogart, writer and director of Juliet and Romeo (release date, May 9, 2025), explains his reasons—historical, personal, and otherwise—for getting…

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Winter's Tales

February 13, 2025 · 32 min

From Frankenstein to The Shining, tales of extreme wintery conditions have always been a hit. In this episode, we talk about some of the real-life fun people had when things got very cold in Shakespeare's day—like going to frost fairs on…
"To track, or not to track?"

December 2, 2024 · 27 min

Thanks to modern technology, tracking your children (and anyone else willing to join your Life360 Circle) has never been easier. But even in Shakespeare's pre-iphone days, people found ways to keep tabs on their kids. Sometimes this…
Childless Cat Ladies of Yore

October 28, 2024 · 36 min

We're getting our Season Three Party started by exploring the origins of a terrifying creature: the Childless Cat Lady. Whether she has warts and a broom, or she's selling out concert stadiums, this woman means Trouble. But when and how…
James Shapiro on theater, democracy, and the making of an American culture war

June 24, 2024 · 48 min

In this episode, James Shapiro, award-winning author and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, joins us to talk about his most recent book, The Playbook: A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a…
Much Ado About Polyamory

May 27, 2024 · 41 min

These days, everyone seems to be talking about polyamory-- the practice of engaging simultaneously in more than one romantic and/or sexual relationship, with the full consent of everyone involved. According to a recent study, 1 in 9…
Shakespeare's Unsung Moms

April 29, 2024 · 27 min

It's time to bust out the dried macaroni, glitter glue, and home-made Foot Rub "Coupons," because Mother's Day is just around the corner. Mothers are missing from a lot of Shakespeare's plays, but he's still got a lot of moms who are very…
Ye olde Varsity Blues

April 8, 2024 · 33 min

Long before Photoshop and the Varsity Blues scandal, wealthy families have been trying to game the college admissions process. In this episode, we explore why affluent families started to outnumber "poor scholars" like Hamlet's friend…

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About the show

Hosts Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim are Shakespeare professors and close friends who love to bond over the ways Shakespeare's plays help them through their everyday dramas. In each episode, they go back to Shakespeare's day to bring you some funny, fresh insights into a pressing modern problem. They'll explore popular Renaissance writings – from parenting books to cosmetics manuals – and, of course, plays – and talk about their uncanny connections to our everyday struggles. Whether you're dealing with an aging libido, a pandemic, or a dysfunctional family gathering, you'll feel a little bit better when Bard meets life. Caroline is the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, and Michelle is Professor of English at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They've shared their unique brand of Bard-meets-life humor everywhere from the New York Times and the Moth Radio Hour to McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and are the co-authors of Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas. Who says an English major is useless? "The Everyday Shakespeare Podcast" is produced by Jill Ruby.